Sameed Khan on November 19, 2015, 7:29 am

Apple Releases tvOS 9.1 Beta 3 For Apple TV 4

Apple has begun seeding the third beta for tvOS 9.1 to developers looking to test their apps on the first major software update for the 4th-generation Apple TV. The new build, labeled 13U5077a, comes roughly a week after the release of tvOS 9.1 beta 2, which itself was rolled out a week after the first beta.

tvOS made its public debut with the release of Apple TV 4, toting the tvOS 9.0 moniker. The only public update that the OS has received since was labeled 9.0.1, which was released only a few days after Apple’s new set-top box hit the shelves, and did not come with its own release notes, though it is believed minor bug fixes were the only changes it brought to the table. Beta releases for the upcoming 9.1 update too have largely focused on back-end improvements and bug fixes, with Siri support for Apple Music being the only visually discernible change. Release notes for tvOS 9.1 beta 3 too reveal bug fixes for both the OS and the accompanying SDK.

tvOS-2

With the new Apple TV sporting its very own App Store, software updates for the set-top box can be expected to follow a cycle similar to that of iOS and OS X. Whether the new platform will be received with as much gusto by both developers and users remains to be seen. That said, it has been a little over two weeks since the latest Apple TV was released, and there is already an impressive list of apps and games available for download on its App Store, with a bunch of other apps from big names confirmed to be on their way. The popular media suite Plex released its Apple TV app in the beginning of November while a VLC app for the platform is officially in the works. There’s much to look forward to, even if Apple doesn’t roll out a bevy of new features to the new Apple TV with the final release of tvOS 9.1.

Developers can download tvOS 9.1 beta 3 right now from the Apple Developer Program portal at developer.apple.com/tvos.